


Curbside Confessions

by Mabelangelo (Nocturnal_Introvert)



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Break Up, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-21 23:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13154055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocturnal_Introvert/pseuds/Mabelangelo
Summary: Wendy Corduroy was a person with thoughts and feelings and opinions of her own, despite what 'her boys' seemed to think. There was more to her than either of them knew. After all the drama, will the trio be able to work out their misunderstanding? (A post-breakup AU in which Robbie and Dipper aren't complete idiots. Mostly emotional rambling. Rated T for swearing.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story right after Boyz Crazy and never thought it was good enough to publish. Yet, here it is. Be prepared for teenage post-breakup drama. Originally posted on FF.net

"Uh...Robbie?" Tambry called, glancing up from her phone to flip the light switch in her friend's pitch black bedroom.

"Ugh. No. Light. Turn it off." Robbie groaned, flinching at the sudden brightness and covering his face with his hoodie sleeves. He was sitting on his bed, curled up into a ball with his knees pulled tight to his chest. And from the looks of it, he'd been there for a while.

Tambry rolled her eyes and did as he said, sending the two of them back into a world of darkness, a world that seemed to perfectly match just how the owner of the room was feeling: Devoid of light and devoid of life.

"Ohmygod. You look horrible." Tambry gasped, walking toward Robbie and using the dim glow of her phone's screen to see him.

He looked as if he hadn't bathed or slept in days.

Tambry had been friends with Robbie for a long time, and she'd seen him go through some pretty tough times, but she'd never seen him quite like this.

"Back off." Robbie grumbled in response. "If you're already gonna be like this then you can leave."

Tambry frowned. "Uh, there's seriously no way I'm leaving you like this." She told him, shaking her head. "I came here to check up on you, and now I see you're a total mess."

The raven haired teen groaned. "Whatever. I know I look like shit, and I don't really care. Just go, okay? I'm fine. I'm completely fine, I swear. I don't need you fussing over me." He hissed, his eyes clenched tightly shut.

He tried his best to act like his normal self, as if he was only tired and irritated and nothing serious was bothering him, but he knew it was entirely pointless. Not only because was he a bad actor, but also because he knew Tambry would see right through his little act instantly.

"Um, first off, I know you're not okay. I know that something went down between you and Wendy." Tambry said.

Robbie's eyes shot open as he heard Wendy's name. He did not want to talk about Wendy right now. He didn't even want to think about her. Just hearing her name was enough to send him back into a downward spiral of self loathing and sorrow.

"You don't know anything." He snapped.

Despite his attempt to hide his true emotions behind anger, his voice was drenched in hurt, and Tambry instantly knew her guess was right.

"I'm not an idiot, Robbie. I can tell something's up. Wendy's like, literally my best friend. We were texting last night and I know something happened between you two. She's pretty torn up about it too, you know." Tambry said, scowling at him. "There's no reason to get so defensive. I just wanna know what's going on." She flicked a strand of his greasy hair away from his face. "Neither of you guys have hung out with the crew in like, three days. And without you two around the boys are completely lame."

Robbie scoffed and shook his head. "Figures...you're only concerned 'cause you're bored." He sneered. "And uh, why don't you just go ask Wendy what happened? Seeing as you're 'like, literally bffs.'"

Tambry rolled her eyes and glanced down at her phone to send another quick text before responding. "'Cause she's Wendy. Duh. She doesn't talk about this stuff. Like, almost ever. Even with me. You know that." She sighed. "As soon as I mentioned you she started acting strange, but when I asked her what was up she made it seem like nothing happened."

"Of course she did." Robbie muttered, shaking his head. "Well don't ask me what happened. 'Cause I don't usually talk about stuff like this either… And even if I did, right now I really don't want to."

"Uh huh. Whatever you say, tough guy." Tambry mumbled sarcastically. "Okay, but really, whatever you did actually like, /hurt/ her. You know she never lets crap get to her, Robbie. And as a good friend of both of you guys, I'm pretty sure I need to know what happened."

"Ugh. Shut up. It's none of your business. Seriously. Would you just leave me alone already?" Robbie begged, flopping over onto his stomach and burying his face in his pillow.

"Nope, I'm staying right here 'till you talk. Might as well just spill already. We both know you always do, eventually." Tambry insisted, clearing a spot in the mass of crumpled papers and clutter littering the end of his bed so she could sit down. "Look, I'll even put my phone down so I can be a good listener."

Robbie lifted his head from his pillow and cast a glance at his purple haired friend over his shoulder. He could tell she was determined to figure out what had happened, and he knew she'd eventually find out anyway, so he decided to give in. Maybe then she would leave him to his own self-loathing.

"It finally happened." He mumbled after a moment of tense silence. He hoped his vague statement would be all she needed to understand the situation.

Tambry shook her head. "Could you actually say something that makes sense?" She asked.

Robbie sighed in irritation. "Alright, fine… I pissed her off." He growled. "Are you happy now? I pissed Wendy off and then that stupid little kid who follows her around got in the way and I couldn't fix it."

"Is that seriously the end of the story?" Tambry asked, rolling her eyes. "You're acting like this, and she's just angry? Why didn't you wait 'till he left so you could apologize?"

Robbie shook his head. "Ha-I wish it was that easy." He sighed. "Look, I tried to apologize, but it didn't work out. I'm sure without Dipper around everything would have been fine, but eventually she…she broke up with me."

Tambry raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really?"

Robbie nodded. "Yeah…And she looked so upset with me. I have seriously never seen her that upset…I mean, I think she actually cried! And we both know Wendy like, never cries." He told her, frowning. "I seriously screwed up." He added in a whisper, rolling onto his back to stare dully at the ceiling.

"Oh, wow. That's...that's no good, dude. What did you even do?" Tambry asked, her voice sounding a lot gentler now that she knew the situation. She knew how much Robbie loved Wendy, and it finally made sense that he looked so heartbroken.

"Uh, well...I kinda stole some song off the internet and pretended I wrote it for her. And it ended up having some kind of secret hypnotic messages in it or something." Robbie said quickly, nearly facepalming at how stupid it sounded now. "Then Dipper figured it out and told her…It all went downhill from there."

"Seriously?! Why would you even do that?" Tambry asked, shaking her head in disappointment. "Even for you, that's kind of pathetic."

He groaned. "I only wanted to impress her! That's all I ever wanted to do. You know that! I really didn't mean to lie about it. I never mean to be such a jerk to her…" He said. "Man, I screwed everything up so bad, Tambry. She gave me a chance and I completely ruined it. I was such a crappy boyfriend. I don't know why I ever thought I was even halfway good enough for her. She was just gonna break up with me eventually anyway. It was bound to happen."

"Don't be so down on yourself, dude." Tambry told him, frowning sympathetically. "I mean, you really do love her, don't you?" She asked.

"I'm completely stupid for her." Robbie replied, wiping away a stray tear and using all his willpower to keep himself from sobbing pitifully into his pillow.

"I'll take that as a yes..." Tambry mumbled. She sighed, and then stood up and looked directly at him. "Listen Robbie, if anyone is perfect for Wendy, it's totally you."

Robbie seemed confused by her statement.

"I've known her for like, almost her entire life and I know her well enough to see that Wendy's completely crazy about you. She loves you, Robbie. And apparently what you did really hurt her, and I don't know how you managed to screw this up so badly, but you need to fix it. If you two stay broken up any longer the crew is pretty much done for." She pointed her finger in his face. "So if you love that girl then you better get your act together and apologize for being an idiot before it's too late or her dad finds out you hurt her and hunts you down and murders you or… something."

Robbie stared at her blankly, his mind struggling to catch up with what she'd just said. "Wait, you seriously think she actually...likes me?" He asked.

"Duh! I thought we already established this! Now shut up and go talk to her before I post a picture of your pathetic face on my blog." Tambry urged.

"Whoa, no! Wait a second! What am I even supposed to say to her?" Robbie asked quickly, sitting up. "You know I suck at like…talking to people!"

Tambry rolled her eyes. "Okay, calm down." She said. "Just say you're sorry; tell her how you feel. It's not that hard, actually. I don't know if you've noticed, but talking to people tends to make things better about eighty-nine percent of the time."

"But...What if I mess things up even worse?" Robbie asked.

"Oh, stop with the excuses, Robbie! You'll be fine. Get your sorry butt out of bed and fix this mess." Tambry told him.

"Oh, fine." Robbie sighed. "But only because I know if I don't do it now I'd never have the guts to..."

"I figured." Tambry agreed. "Just be glad you had me here to help."

"What would I do without you, Tambry?" Robbie asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"You're welcome, V." Tambry grinned. She turned her attention back to her phone, catching up on all the texts she'd received in her brief absence. "Oh, by the way, you definitely need to take a shower before you talk to her. You smell like a decaying corpse." She said as she walked out of the room, turning on the light on her way out.

"Thanks for that encouragement." Robbie muttered, rolling his eyes. "But that's probably just my decaying heart you smell."

Tambry scoffed. "Oh, stop being so melodramatic." She said, slamming the door behind her.


	2. Reminisce

Wendy Corduroy was sitting alone in her bedroom, listening to upbeat music as loud as possible on her beat up old ipod. The happy words drowned out her less-than-happy thoughts; yet, cheerful as the tunes were, they didn't seem to be making her feel any better. Usually music was able to change her mood entirely, but for some reason it just wasn't helping right now.

Wendy wasn't sure if she was feeling angry, hurt, sad, or just a mix of all three emotions, but she did know that she was not happy. Breaking up with Robbie had been hard on her, especially due to the situation that led to the break up. She never would have thought that either of her boys would do something like that to her; she always thought they were better than that.

Yet, here she was.

Robbie had lied, yet again. And Wendy had finally snapped. She felt bad for doing so, and it killed her to end their relationship like that. But she had her reasons.

"Wendy?" A sudden, gruff voice called from downstairs, barely audible over the funky guitar riff blaring from the teen's headphones.

Wendy flinched, snapping out of her near-trance as she heard her father's voice. She didn't expect him to be home. She thought he'd be out chopping down trees, or whatever it was he did, by now.

"Wendy, are you still up there?"

"Yep." Wendy replied. She knew things would only be worse if she kept quiet and her dad found her later. She paused her song, sliding her headphones off her head and around her neck. "What's up, dad?"

She heard the thundering sound of heavy footsteps on the creaky, old stairs, and a few seconds later her father was knocking on her bedroom door.

Wend groaned and sluggishly made her way out of bed. "You know, it really isn't necessary to knock that hard." She said as she opened the door to let him in.

"Wendy…" Manly Dan began, ignoring her comment. His scolding tone was paired with an almost questioning look of disapproval as he saw that his daughter was still in her flannel pajamas.

"Hm?" Wendy asked, tilting her head in innocent confusion as if she had no clue what her father could possibly be wondering about.

"Why aren't you at work?" The lumberjack growled, his sullen stare unwavering.

Wendy pretended to be taken completely off guard by this question. "It's not Sunday?" She asked, looking bewildered. "Man, I guess I really lost track of the days this week." The teen grinned apologetically and then returned to her bed and collapsed into it, as if merely moving the two feet to the door had exhausted her.

Her father appeared less than amused. "I'm not as dumb as you think." He reminded her, shaking his head. "Stan says you haven't been to work in a few days."

Wendy's grin faded a bit. "Whoa, wait, what? Yesterday wasn't a holiday?! Man, I could've sworn it was... Good Friday... or something. I thought I had some kind of break. My bad." She half-heartedly attempted to cover for herself. But she was joking around more than anything else at this point. She knew she had been found out.

"What am I going to do with you, Wendy?" Her father sighed. He was about to scold her or lecture her on work ethic or something parent-y like that, but as he looked more closely at her he could tell something wasn't quite right. Dan suddenly got the impression that Wendy wasn't skipping work due to sheer laziness. There was a distant look in the teen's tired eyes, and she seemed somehow different than normal. He wasn't sure what it was, but something was definitely wrong with his daughter. "Is everything okay?"

Wendy nodded her head quickly. "Of course!" She said, her voice unnaturally energetic and bubbly all of a sudden, as if she could read his mind. "All is well."

Dan looked skeptical, but he decided to drop the subject for now. He could tell that Wendy wasn't in the mood to talk about her feelings, which wasn't unusual for her.

"You got a call this morning." He told her. "Some boy was looking for you."

Wendy felt her heart speed up as she heard this, thinking that maybe someone had finally had the guts to call and apologize. "Someone you know?" She asked as casually as possible, trying not to look too interested.

"Didn't sound familiar. But I don't know." Her father said, shrugging. "He left a message."

Wendy considered the possibilities for a moment, and decided to be optomistic for the time being. Maybe today would be the day when everything went back to how it should be between her and Robbie. She grinned. "Alright, I'll check it out, thanks."

She waited until her father was out of her room and long gone, and then she rushed down the stairs. When she got into the Kitchen, she let out a deep breath, her finger lingering just above the play button on the answering machine.

"Okay, I can't stay this upset about this…I'm totally ready to forgive him." Wendy whispered to herself. "But only if he's actually sorry."

She closed her eyes and pressed play.

"Hey Wendy, it's me again."

"No…" She couldn't help but groan as she heard who it actually was.

"…Um, ha-ha I mean, it's Dipper. I'm sure you guessed that by now...cause...you can hear my voice. Ha. Uh-S-so, yeah I guess I just wanted to call and make sure you're okay. I haven't seen you around the Shack in a few days. Well, actually I haven't seen you at all since...you know." He was silent for a moment, and she could hear his nervous breathing. "I just really hope you're okay, Wendy. I really need to talk to you. I-I mean, I know the whole thing doesn't really involve me, but at the same time it does and anyway I'm just really, really worried about you." He paused again, this time letting out a deep sigh. "Okay, sorry, I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to all these messages. So, uh, I-I'll see you around...I hope."

Wendy heard him mutter 'Ugh! I'm such an idiot!' to himself before she heard the click. She shook her head.

"End of message." The dull, mechanical voice said. "You have no new voice messages."

"Guess I got my hopes up for nothing, huh?" Wendy scoffed.

She suddenly became aware of a huge shadow looming over her. A shadow other than her shadow of doubt anyway.

"You gonna call back?" Her father asked. "He called ten times before that message…And he told me he left messages on your cell phone too."

Wendy sighed. She had been avoiding her cell phone since earlier that morning for this exact reason. Dipper wasn't who she wanted to talk to right now. "Nah, I'm not gonna call him back…as mean as that seems. I'll see him soon enough." She said. "Poor kid. He seems to think he's the problem, but it's not him I'm upset with, really."

"Are you upset with someone else?" Dan asked, looking at her quizzically.

Wendy shrugged. "I guess you could say that." She said.

Dan sighed at her non-answer.

"...Boys are crazy." She added, hoping her vague phrase would explain the situation well enough.

Her dad nodded. "I thought you knew that." He said. He knew enough about the boys Wendy had dated in the past, and he knew her relationships didn't tend to last long, but he had never seen her this upset due to boy related problems before.

"Okay, well, yeah…but this time it's different." Wendy told him, shrugging.

"Why?"

Wendy hesitated. "Because…well…this time it was someone special." She sighed. "It was actually like, someone I trusted. I thought he was different, but he ended up being a total jerk."

Dan wasn't sure how to respond. As close as he was with his daughter, Wendy usually wasn't very willing to open up to him. He was surprised enough that she had actually answered his questions. When Wendy had a problem, she generally kept it to herself. And she usually wasn't one to let things get to her anyway. But he could tell that this time someone had really hurt her. And he hated seeing her this upset.

The burly man started to say something, but instead chose to pull his daughter into his arms in a spontaneous and tight hug. It surprised him nearly as much as it surprised Wendy. He wasn't usually too keen on showing his emotions. But for some reason, it just seemed right at the moment.

After her initial surprise, the red haired girl leaned her head against her father's chest. She found his earthy, masculine smell oddly comforting. Having his huge arms around her made her feel small and loved, and it gave Wendy a peaceful, reminiscent feeling that almost helped her get her mind off Robbie's lies.

But that still wasn't enough to mend her heart.

They stood in silence for a moment before Dan patted his daughter on the shoulder and took a step back.

"So, I guess this means I gotta get to work, huh?" Wendy asked, smiling slightly.

Dan nodded, and then he looked at the clock. "Well, there's almost no point now, but you should at least show up." He told her. "I think your boss needs an explanation."

Wendy sighed and nodded. "Alright. I'll see you later then." She said, heading back up the stairs to change out of her pajamas.

She hesitated on the top step, and glanced over her shoulder at her father. "Thanks, dad." She smiled.


	3. Infatuation

Dipper glanced up at the clock for what seemed like the millionth time that day, and he let out a sigh as he noted the time.

It was five o'clock, meaning there was only an hour until the Mystery Shack's giftshop closed for the day.

Due to the absence of a certain redhead, Dipper had been in charge of not only cleaning the place, but also manning the cash register for the past few days. It was a surprisingly tiring job, yet he found himself feeling anything but glad that it was nearly time to close up shop.

Ever sense the incident between Robbie and Wendy occurred, Dipper had been anxiously awaiting the minute when Wendy would return to work and talk things over with him. This marked day two of her not showing up, and now Dipper was really beginning to worry about her.

He sighed and picked up the broom, deciding to finally sweep the shop, since it was something he was more or less required to do each day. He tended to put it off till last minute. That way there was no chance of someone tracking dirt in and causing him to need to re-sweep. Right now, he highly doubted any more tourists would enter the shop, so it seemed as good a time as any.

Mabel skipped into the shop moments after Dipper began to sweep, a huge grin spread across her face as always.

"Hey Dipper!" She didn't instantly sense her twin's dreary attitude, but it didn't go unnoticed for too long. "Aw, what's the problemo, bro bro?" She asked, frowning as she saw the worried and distant look on her brother's face.

Dipper snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Mabel speak, and he looked at her quickly with a fake smile plastered across his face. "Ahah-it's nothing." He told her. "I was just thinking…A-about the book and ghosts and stuff. That's all."

Mabel looked skeptical. She could always when her brother was lying to her. She wasn't sure if it came from their 'twin telepathy' or if Dipper was just a bad liar; but either way, she knew that something was up. "Oh c'mon, you can tell me." She insisted. "What's on your mind, dear brother of mine?"

Dipper sighed and continued to, almost mechanically, sweep the floor. "Mabel, it's nothing. I just…I feel terrible, okay? I messed with something that was none of my business."

"What happened?" Mabel asked, sitting atop the counter and looking down at her brother in concern.

Dipper was quiet for a moment. He pretended to be really focused on sweeping up the dust near the door. "Wendy and Robbie broke up." He said, finally. "And…I guess I feel really bad about it."

Mabel gasped as she heard the news. "But why, Dips? Isn't this exactly what you wanted?" The older twin asked. "Now you can finally be with Wendy! Go comfort her! Then she'll fall in love with you; it's a dream come true!" She flashed him a bright smile.

"W-well..." Dipper shook his head. "No, Mabel. It's- It's just, not that easy." He told her with a sigh. He leaned the broom against the wall, deciding his attempt to sweep could wait until later, like always. "I wish it was, but…They're both really upset. And it's all my fault."

"Dipper…" Mabel whispered gently, finally sensing just how upset the situation was making him.

"This isn't what I wanted, Mabel…I mean, well, it kind of is, actually. But…I didn't want it to happen like this! Wendy's really mad at me." He whined, looking down at the dirty floor. "I can forget any chance I had of dating her; I don't even think she'll want to be my friend anymore."

Mabel leapt off the counter and walked over toward her brother. "Cheer up, bro." She told him, patting his shoulder. "Maybe she's mad- and I'm sure she has a good reason to be- but…I don't think she'll be as mad if you apologize to her. Maybe things will work out. Just admit you were wrong. And never do what you did ever again."

Dipper looked up at her, hope shining in his eyes. "You really think that will work?" He asked.

Mabel nodded quickly. "It's certainly worth a shot!" She told him. "After all, I am always right all the time. If I were you I'd trust my advice!"

Dipper rolled his eyes, but he smiled slightly. "Thanks, Mabel."

Mabel grinned at him over her shoulder, walking toward the door to the rest of the shack. "No problem." She told him. "I'll catch you later, Dip. Good luck."

Dipper sighed and sat down after his sister was gone, trying to make some sense of what exactly he was feeling right now.

But just as soon as Mabel had left, the other door to the gift shop opened.

Dipper didn't look up at first, figuring it was just a tourist, but soon a familiar hue of red managed to catch his eye.

"WENDY." Dipper gasped, nearly falling out of his seat as he caught sight of the red haired girl entering the gift shop.

Wendy gave him a little nod as a greeting. It was neither friendly, nor hostile. It was just enough that it acknowledged the younger boy without doing much of anything else.

Dipper did his best to keep himself from over thinking the gesture. He wasn't entirely sure Wendy was still angry at him, but he guessed that she was.

"I-It's so great to see you finally!" The brunette stammered after a few seconds of dazed muteness. "So...So, how are you? Did you get any of my messages?" He asked.

Wendy looked down at the ground, almost guiltily, and then she nodded. "Mhm." She mumbled.

"You did? ...And you didnt call back." Dipper mused, almost to himself.

"Yeeahh...about that..." Wendy began. She took her name tag from her pocket and pinned it to her shirt as she walked over closer to him.

As Dipper saw the look on her face, it was like something was slowly beginning to piece together in his mind. But he did his best to ignore it for the moment. "I-I kept calling because, you know, Grunkle Stan was worried he'd have to hire someone else. A-and then he'd have to actually pay them decently." Dipper stuttered with a nervous smile, trying to bridge the gap of awkwardness and tension between them and hoping to cure the sickly feeling rising up in his stomach.

Wendy returned his smile, but it didn't seem genuine and Dipper recognized that instantly. It was awkward and forced.

"And, hey, I was worried about you too. Well, if you didn't pick up on that from my multiple ramblings." He added. He tried to ignore the rush of heat to his face as he spoke.

"Listen, dude..." Wendy said, finally speaking up and stopping Dipper from making things any worse. "It's not your fault. So no worries. I mean, I know I kinda did lash out at you at the end of the night, but I wasn't actually that upset with you." She sighed. "So-uh- thanks for the thought. The whole trying to comfort me thing; inviting me to go bowling. And sorry I yelled at you." The teen smiled slightly. "We all good?"

Dipper was silent for a moment. When he found out the reason Wendy thought he'd invited her to go bowling with him, he felt a bit guilty. In all honesty, he was hoping to comfort her after her break up in hopes that she would eventually want to date him. And now it seemed so selfish. "Wait..." He said. "Wendy, I can't accept your apology..."

Wendy raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Because I should be the one apologizing." Dipper told her, guiltily avoiding her gaze. "I messed with your relationship, and...it wasn't any of my business. I'm really sorry...I butted into something when I had absolutely no right to."

"Dude," Wendy murmured. "It's alright. I swear. I'm not mad at you."

Dipper sighed. "Well...maybe you should be." He said, shaking his head.

"You were just trying to keep me from getting hurt. I get it. No need to be so down on yourself." She said as she sat down behind the counter beside him.

Dipper wanted to tell her the truth, he really did. He wanted to tell Wendy his real reason for inviting her to go bowling. He wanted to finally tell her how he really felt about her. But he just couldn't. Because before he could even open his mouth, she had leaned over and pulled him into a tight hug. Dipper felt his face go red.

"Thanks for being such a cool friend, Dipper." She whispered.

Dipper would have nearly died of happiness right then if it wasn't for one, little detail. He could hear the tiredness in her voice, and when she backed away, he was close enough to see that she had been crying recently. Though he could tell she had been attempting to hide it, there was no denying the fact that Wendy was actually hurt. As Dipper realized this, he felt another wave of guilt crash over him. Because he realized something else too...

He realized that he was happy when Wendy and Robbie broke up, but the only reason for that was because he had only been thinking of himself. He hadn't considered Wendy's feelings, and he certainly hadn't even thought of Robbie's. Dipper was glad they'd broken up because he hoped maybe Wendy would start liking him. And then he realized maybe he didn't love her as much as he thought he did. Because he was in it for his own gain. Dipper didn't care if she got hurt as long as she'd end up with him. And he felt like such a terrible friend.

Wendy leaned back into her normal, reclined position behind the counter after she pulled away from the hug, and she looked so effortlessly calm that Dipper almost decided to keep his mouth shut.

But then he saw something else that changed his mind.

He saw something move outside the window, and when he looked closer he noticed what-or who- it was. It was Robbie. He had been standing outside the gift shop near the door, apparently long enough to see Wendy hug Dipper, and he looked absolutely miserable; more so than usual.

If Robbie had looked angry, things may have been different. If the teen had looked even the slightest bit less hurt, Dipper may have even felt smug. But right now seeing Robbie's expression stung Dipper like a slap to the face. Forget feeling like a terrible friend…Now Dipper felt like a terrible person all around.

Dipper mentally cursed himself for being the type of person who actually had a conscious. Because even though he loved her in one way or another, first and foremost Wendy was his friend. And he knew he had to do what was best for her, not what was best for him; even if it broke his heart to do so.

"Wendy…No. I'm not a cool friend. I'm not anywhere near cool." He told her, shaking his head. "Um...I know you're upset that Robbie lied to you…but, he did try to apologize. And I think that means a lot coming from him."

"Dude…What?" Wendy asked, sitting back up again. "Are you actually trying to defend him now? Dipper, you only know half the crap he's done to me lately. I'm actually glad you got me out of that mess before something even worse happened. The dude was being a total jerk."

"Wait, Wendy. Like I said…I messed with your relationship." Dipper said. "If I hadn't interfered, I'm sure you guys would have worked things out. Because…You guys really did love each other, didn't you?" He closed his eyes, not wanting to tear up and embarrass himself. "And that's what people do when they love someone. When they have problems, they find a way to make things work. Or, well, I think that's what they do." Dipper opened one eye slowly, just enough to see her face. "I don't think Robbie would ever hurt you on purpose, Wendy. I-I think he really loves you, and I think you love him too. And if that's true, then maybe you guys should work things out." He smiled slightly, trying to mask the sadness behind it. "You deserve someone that loves you, Wendy. I mean, if you don't think he treats you right then that's up to you and…and…I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think you should give Robbie another chance, but, well…only if you want to."

Wendy was silent for a moment, but then she followed Dipper's gaze and saw Robbie sulking out of the parking lot, his hood over his head.

She wanted so desperately to stay secretly mad at both of them. She wanted to stand firm and get her point across. But the only problem with her logic was, it seemed as if Dipper had suddenly understood exactly what she was trying to prove.

She was Wendy Corduroy, and she was a person with feelings and opinions and the right to love and/or date whomever she wanted. She hated that sometimes people seemed to forget that, and right now she loved Dipper more than anything for respecting it.

She opened her mouth to tell him exactly that, but she couldn't seem to find a way to say it. But maybe that was only because she was still looking out the window, watching Robbie as he left. She needed so badly to set things straight with him.

Dipper smiled knowingly. "Good luck." He told her. "Take as long as you need. I think I can handle the gift shop on my own for a few more minutes. Don't worry; I'll tell Stan what's up."

"And you said you weren't a good friend…" The redhead muttered, smiling. "Dipper, you're the best. Thank you." Wendy gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then ran out of the gift shop to catch up with Robbie.

Dipper officially knew he had no chance with the red haired girl as the door slammed shut behind her. It was like his heart had been a vase just barely lingering on the edge of a shelf, and when that door closed, it finally gave up, toppled over, and shattered into a million pieces on the floor.

It hurt him to realize this, but at the same time it felt surprisingly good. Being just friends with a girl as amazing as Wendy seemed good enough to him. He was glad that she was in his life. And he wanted nothing more than for her to be happy.


	4. Tension

Once Robbie was far enough away from the Mystery Shack, he sat down on the curb, staring out toward the mostly empty town, repeatedly telling himself that he was over Wendy.

In all honesty, he knew he really wasn't. But he had to be, didn't he? It wasn't like he had any other choice.

Dipper had won.

Robbie loved everything about Wendy. He loved her grin that came out of nowhere and left the same way, replaced yet again by an impassive expression. He loved the freckles that dotted her skin like uncharted constellations. He loved her emerald eyes and the way they lit up when she talked about things she liked. He loved the warmth of her hand in his and the way he seemed to lose his breath whenever she was around.

And it killed him that she didn't love him back anymore.

She was the single ray of sunshine in the overcast sky of his life. And now that she was gone, all he could see was darkness. She was the first friend he made in Gravity Falls, and the best friend he could have ever asked for. Now he wished that he'd just left it at that and continued to have an unrequited crush on her in secret. Wouldn't that have saved him from losing her altogether?

Robbie had spent so long dreaming of the day Wendy would be his, the day that she'd tell him she actually did return his feelings, and when that day finally came he found a way to wreck it only weeks later. Now that she was gone, now that she was no doubt moving on already, ready to scratch his name off the list of guys she'd dated, he felt like he was nothing more than a shadow of himself.

Because without Wendy, who was he?

He heard footsteps behind him, and he pulled his hood tighter over his head, hoping whoever it was would pass him by without so much as a look in his direction.

But, of course, he had no luck.

"Hey, stranger." A familiar voice said.

Robbie flinched as he heard her voice. He whipped his head around and saw Wendy standing behind him with an uncharacteristically shy smile on her face. As he looked at her he saw that he wasn't the only one who had been suffering from a lack of sleep. There were dark purple circles under Wendy's, now dull and tired seeming, green eyes, and she looked as if she had been crying recently.

It broke Robbie's heart to see her like that…Especially since he was the one who caused it. But somehow, it made him a bit hopeful. Maybe she actually did care.

"What's up?" The ginger girl asked. "I saw you outside the Shack earlier."

"I-I just came to talk to you…" Robbie mumbled, hoping he wouldn't sound as desperate and stupid as he was feeling. He gazed out toward the street again, trying his very hardest not to look at his now ex-girlfriend.

Wendy sat down next to him, and, though he tried to pretend otherwise, Robbie felt his heart speed up a bit as she got closer.

"Why'd you leave without talking to me, then?" She asked, glancing over at him. "If it was 'cause of Stan, you know I never follow the rules anyway."

Robbie shrugged. "Nah, that's not it…" He trailed off. He hoped Wendy would realize what he had seen, but she seemed completely oblivious.

"Well…?" Wendy urged, her tiredness causing her to be a bit more impatient than normal.

"It's nothing…" Robbie insisted, shaking his head. "Except, well, okay…I guess it is something." He paused and played with his hoodie strings out of nervous habit. "I saw you and Dipper in there."

Wendy didn't seem to pick up on what he was saying.

"But hey, it's fine. I'm glad you've replaced me already. That's really cool. Good for you." Robbie said. He tried to sound genuinely happy, just to spite her, but he heard his voice catch as he spoke. He regretted letting the words leave his mouth.

Wendy looked over at Robbie, her eyes widening in disbelief. This had to be a joke. He couldn't possibly think she was actually interested in Dipper like that. But the fact that he'd even suggested it really pissed her off all of a sudden. Up until now she had been very willing to forgive him had he apologized. But now he was acting like he had never done anything wrong. He was making it seem like everything was her fault, as if she was the one who needed to apologize to him.

Her calmness was beginning to crumble, and all the anger and hurt she was feeling started to slip out through the cracks. "Very funny, Robbie." She huffed. "You know, until you said that, I never realized how much I like the kid. At least he felt bad about what happened, and he apologized…unlike some people I know."

After she said this, there was an awkward span of silence unlike anything Robbie had ever experienced. Silences with Wendy used to be nerve-wracking in a jittery, feel-good way. He used to have so much he wanted to say, but no way to say any those things without sounding stupid.

But now there was absolutely nothing to say. There were no excuses he could make for himself. And now there was a tense brooding silence like the calm before a storm. It was the kind of silence that indicated whatever happened next would not be pleasant.

He suddenly realized that he should have just apologized.

"I'll take that as my cue to say I'm sorry…" Robbie said, breaking the silence and grinning sheepishly at her.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Did you seriously need the hint?"

Robbie frowned. "No, I guess not. But listen, I'm sorry I lied. I'm sorry. I really am." He said, a bit suddenly. "A-and I don't know what I'd ever do without you. So please..." He trailed off and held his head in his hands. He didn't know what to say now. Each time he tried to think of the proper words to voice his thoughts, it was like his entire vocabulary had gone on vacation. How could he ever tell her just how much she meant to him?

Wendy sighed. She was glad Robbie was trying, but she could tell that things weren't going to go as she'd hoped. Though he was attempting to make things right, there was no truth in what he was saying. She could hear the bones in his words through the thin skin of his voice. Robbie just didn't seem to grasp the effects of what he'd been doing to her lately.

"Robbie, look. I appreciate the thought. It's nice to hear an apology for once. But you know what? Sometimes sorry just isn't good enough. Especially if you don't mean it."

"I-well..." Robbie stammered. "I know I messed up. I know I lied. But...I-I love you, Wendy. Can't you see that?"

Wendy huffed. "…Robbie, all you would ever talk about was yourself or your band. I mean, that's cool and all, but I did get sick of it after a while...But only because you barely spent any time with me and you lied to me all the time. You never even listened to me..." She told him.

"I really did all that?" Robbie asked, looking more lost and confused than ever.

"You treated me like crap, Robbie." Wendy whispered, frowning.

"I-I really didn't mean to...I swear!"

"Well you did, dude! And I put up with it for a while, for way longer than I should have, because I really do love you!" Wendy said, raising her voice a bit. There were tears in her eyes now.

"Shit, Wendy..." Robbie mumbled, shaking his head.

"What?" She asked, wiping her tears away with her sleeve, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Y-you know...I never meant to hurt you. I swear. I really didn't." Robbie insisted, searching her damp eyes desperately.

"…I never said you were trying to hurt me. But it's not like you tried too hard not to, either." Wendy told him. "Seriously. Why do you have to lie about everything?"

Robbie sighed and ran a hand through his hair. His first instinct was to come up with some form of excuse for his behavior, but he soon decided that now wasn't the time. "I dunno. I...It's just like, sometimes when I'm around you I get all nervous and...weird." He admitted, unsure of a more eloquent way to voice his thoughts.

Wendy nodded, scoffing. "Dude, I've definitely noticed. But why?"

Robbie searched his mind for an answer, but everything he came up with seemed so foolish now. "I guess I felt like I needed to lie to impress you or something. I dunno..." He shrugged.

"Why?" Wendy asked again, growing impatient.

Robbie took a deep breath. All his thoughts were jumbling together in his head and all he could think about was how much he loved her and how much nothing he could say would be able to express that enough. He was becoming rather irritated at himself now, and he hardly gave himself enough time to think before letting a long-unexpressed opinion slip from his mouth.

"It's just that…well, look; I'm not as cool as you are, Wendy. I'm boring, and I'm kind of a loser, if you haven't noticed. And I felt like I had to impress you because I didn't want to be that lame guy you broke up with because you were bored." His words were rushed and a bit too loud, and it caused the vibe to grow tenser yet.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Wendy glared over at him, seeming shocked. "Dude, I would never do that!" She gasped.

Robbie rolled his eyes, at this point too angry at himself to care how thoroughly he embarrassed himself. "Really? Out of all the relationships you've been in, how many times have you been one who got dumped?" He asked. "History repeats itself, or so I'm told."

Wendy shook her head. "Dude, that has nothing to do with it! I know I've dated a lot of guys...But, Robbie, this is different! Our friendship, our relationship, us, it's nothing like all those spur of the moment 'romances' I somehow got involved in. I've known that since like, forever ago. And I thought you knew that too..."

Robbie sighed, finally took his hood off his head, and shoved his hands in his pockets before replying, giving himself some time to cool down. "How is it any different? It kinda seems like it ended up just the same as all the others." He told her under his breath.

Wendy was silent for a few moments, staring out at the darkening town with a somber expression on her face. It was a stark contrast to the firey enthusiasm or passive indifference her face often showed.

"…You just don't get it, do you?" She muttered, looking down at the ground.

"What is there to get?" Robbie asked snappily.

The redhead let out a soft sigh before she responded. "You're special to me, Robbie! You really are. Why can't you see that?" She whispered, looking back up and into his eyes.

As her emerald eyes met his, a wave of hurt surged through his entire body. He could tell that he'd really screwed up. Yet, for some reason he couldn't make himself shut up. Now that he'd confessed one thing, more and more thoughts kept threatening to stumble from his mouth.

If she wanted to know the truth, then he'd tell it like it really was.

"How the hell was I supposed to figure that out?! It's not like you ever show it! Whenever I'm around it's like you have this completely chill, bored look on your face! A-and whenever I'm around you I get this weird butterfly thing in my gut and I can't think straight or form complete sentences. For me, you're different than any girl I've ever met. But with you, I can't tell if I'm anything more than just another ex on your stupid list."

Wendy shook her head, her hurt expression gradually becoming more and more frustrated. "Have you ever thought that maybe I act like that because I'm comfortable being myself around you?" She asked, looking at him pointedly.

That certainly threw Robbie for a loop.

"Well, b-but…I thought you were just pity-dating me! I thought never rejecting anyone was like…the Wendy Corduroy way or something." He sighed. "You're the most important thing in my life, Wendy. Heck, you always have been. And it really sucks thinking you only said yes because you didn't want me to be mad at you or something."

Wendy's eyes widened. "What? There's no way I'd ever do that! That's never an okay thing to do! If I didn't really like you, I would tell you straight up. I wouldn't be giving you false hope. That's the Wendy Corduroy way."

"Then why did you date me if things were just going to end up like this?" Robbie frowned.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Dude, I did not know this was going to happen! It's not like I can predict the future…" She grumbled. "I dated you because something about you...something even I can't really explain, drives me absolutely crazy. And i's not like it was with all the other guys I've dated. It's something completely different." She shrugged. "Maybe it's the way you always used to seem so nervous around me, but then whenever we would be alone together you'd melt into this totally sweet, completely comfortable person. Until recently, you've always been there for me and you always listen to my pointless babbling when I need someone to. So whenever something happens, I want to share it with you. It's like, whether it's a joke or some huge event, I just want to tell you because...I don't know. I'm just, really glad about your existence in its entirety, I guess." She sighed. "And honestly, I have no clue when I started to feel this way about you. I don't know when I developed this huge crush on my best friend, or when wanting to hang out with you became wanting to make out with you...but all I know is that it happened. And it's something I can't reverse." She shook her head, and her expression became angry yet again. "Even if you're a total asshole half the time and I don't understand your motives for doing anything anymore; and even if you lie and get caught up in being cool and focus on your band and forget I exist sometimes…No matter what I still can't bring myself to stop loving you."

"Why?" Robbie choked, taken off guard by her sudden sentimentality.

"Because I honestly want to be with you, Robbie...Like I said, dude, I love you a lot." Wendy said.

"Then why did you break up with me? You could have just told me how you were feeling…"

"Well, if you didn't realize what was going on I figured you wouldn't care enough to listen if I tried to tell you…" Wendy muttered. "It's just…I don't think I can let myself continue to be treated like crap by someone I love so much. Not anymore. I'm so sick of being hurt by you. See, I know what that's like, too! You're not the only one getting hurt here."

Robbie blinked in surprise.

" And maybe I pretend it doesn't matter, but it does! Even if it seems like what you do doesn't affect me, I'm so close to just falling apart. And I hate that so much. It takes a lot for things to get to me, Robbie." She sniffled. "And this has gone on for way too long…I think I've had enough. Because as hard as I'm trying here…I guess you just don't want it to work out, huh? You never care about anything other than being cool…"

"But…" Robbie whispered, looking like a dog who had just been stepped on by it's owner. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Look, I-I know I'm a huge jerk sometimes, okay? I know that I lie, I know I don't listen to you, I know I brag a lot and I'm just a major idiot all around and I do all this stupid shit." He took a deep breath. "But...when I'm with you, I want to change all that. You make me want to become a better person. So I'm trying to change...I'm trying to be better, for you. I'm trying to become someone who deserves you. I've been trying for so long. But somehow whenever you're around I always manage to screw things up...I just get so nervous. All I want to do is impress you. And since there's nothing impressive about me, I lie and whatever else. I know it's bad but...hey, like I said, I'm trying to change."

Wendy looked less than impressed. In fact, she only looked more pissed off. "I was trying to forgive you, I really was. But then you had to go and say that." She muttered through clenched teeth.

Robbie wasn't expecting that response. His eyes opened wide in shock.

"Trying to change means nothing, okay? If you knew what you were doing wrong, then maybe instead of trying so hard to impress me with your apathy and attempts at being cool you should have paid attention to the things I actually cared about!" Wendy growled. "You get so caught up in that stupid act that you forget all about what this actually is. Or, excuse me, was, anyway." She rolled her eyes and scoffed at her mistake. "It was a relationship. It wasn't a contest, and I wasn't some kind of prize that you had to fight to keep."

Robbie opened his mouth, but he then decided it would be best to let Wendy continue talking.

"You didn't have to lie to me to keep me interested in you, dude. Seriously. There's no way you'll bore me. I knew that from like, the very first day we met. And I guess I thought you knew that too." Wendy grinned weakly. "Great, there I go assuming things again." Her grin melted into a thoughtful frown. "It's just...It's so hard to figure out what you're thinking! Half the time I can't even begin to imagine what goes on in your head, and I wish you'd just say it like it is sometimes!" She shook her head. "But almost every guy I've met has this stupid sense of pride and it always comes before everything else…" She looked up at him accusingly."And for a while I thought maybe you were different…And you know what? You really had me going. I thought you were a decent guy." She stood up and dusted off her jeans. "But now you've shown me that I was entirely wrong about you. You're no different than the rest of the stupid, pretentious morons in this town…"

"B-but…" Robbie stuttered, still in a state of shock.

"Good bye, Robbie." Wendy muttered, shaking her head.

With that she walked away, taking Robbie's heart with her.


	5. Reconciliation

"Wendy, wait!" Robbie called after her as soon as he had snapped out of his little moment and returned to the real world.

Wendy rolled her eyes and turned around, her arms crossed. "What now?" She sighed.

"I-I…You don't get it, do you?" Robbie asked, his voice quiet and sad.

"Oh no, I think I understand perfectly." Wendy muttered. "The only thing I don't get is why you're being all dramatic. Why can't you do what you normally do? You know, shrug it off, say 'whatever' and sulk away." She shook her head. "In fact, why don't you just stop caring altogether? You've never had a problem with that before."

Robbie's mouth dropped in shock. As soon as he recovered, he clenched his jaw. "As much as I would love to...you know what, Wendy? I can't do that. Not this time." He told her. "I'm so sick of trying to be something I'm not. I do care. Actually, to be honest, sometimes I care way too much about things. But the thing is…I didn't want anyone to know that, 'cause I've always thought that caring was a weakness." He shrugged. "When you care, you usually-almost always- end up getting hurt...And I hate that. I was so sick of getting hurt by everyone. And I thought that maybe if I just stopped caring about them, if I just stopped caring about all the stupid stuff they said and did, then things would get better. But you know what I realized?"

Wendy opened her mouth to make a snide reply, but he cut her off before she could.

"It's like, pretty much impossible to not care. You can pretend you don't care all you want, but that doesn't help at all." He told her. "Because if you're really honest with yourself, you actually do care. And acting like you don't can't stop you from getting hurt. It only made it harder when you do." He looked down at the ground. "'Cause now I have to pretend that, no matter what happens, I just don't care. And you know what? It sucks. It really fucking sucks, Wendy!" He sighed. "...It's great that I'm just figuring this out now, huh?"

"Can you just shut up for a minute?" Wendy asked.

"W-what?"

"Listen, I get it. I get that you don't wanna get hurt, so you act all tough. But don't make yourself out to be a martyr." She sighed. "You're not the only one who's upset. And throwing yourself a pity party isn't going to work this time, dude."

"But... I didn't want to guilt you into getting back together with me or whatever…"

Wendy scoffed.

"Okay…well, maybe that's what I was hoping for at first. But now it's different. I don't expect that to happen anymore. Because I know I screwed up, and now I'm just really upset that I hurt you. Because I do care." He took a few steps closer to her. "I know what I did was wrong, and, although it feels like my heart has been shattered into a million pieces, I know everything is totally my fault and I don't blame you for breaking up with me."

Wendy raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Sure it sucks, but you had a good reason. And what I can't seem to get over is the fact that I hurt you. I know I shouldn't have lied to you. I know I should have actually listened to you and I shouldn't have been such a jerk. But sometimes I just don't think. I'm not trying to make any more excuses for myself here or anything but…Sometimes I get so caught up in myself and what other people think of me that I forget all about how the things I do might actually like…affect people. And now I'm realizing just how selfish and stupid that is, and I really am sorry." He looked down at the ground, avoiding her gaze. "If you were in my situation for just one moment, then you'd realize I never wanted to hurt you. I just wanted to seem cool enough that you'd actually like me. Because…well, you're really great, Wendy." He sighed. And I'm just...not. I only wanted to, you know, actually have a slight chance with you?"

"But dude…" Wendy said. "You've always had a chance with me; right from the very beginning. And if you do all that to impress me...well, there's really no point."

Robbie looked down at the ground sadly. "I figured..." He sighed.

"No, not like that. What I'm trying to say is...I just don't understand; because no matter how hard you try to hide it, you're someone who's actually really nice." She shook her head. "Honestly, I like, seriously love you, dude. And I don't care if you 'fought a bear' or if you 'snuck into an abandoned hospital one night and totally fought off a whole bunch of ghosts.' There's no reason to try and impress me with crap like that. Because I think you're impressive enough as it is." She told him. "I love the real you, Robbie; behind all your quirks and whatever. I love the goofy, shy kid who used to hold my hand and climb up by the waterfall with me every summer; the same kid who painted that explosion on the water tower and acted like it was the coolest thing ever; that nervous, dorky guy who played me a song during the talent show four years ago and was shaking so much he dropped his pick. I love you, Robbie. Even though you lie to me and treat me like crap half the time, I really freaking love you! I wish you'd see that."

"B-but…why me? Everything you talked about…What do you even see in me?"

"You have a heart, Robbie." Wendy sighed. "I can see that every once in a while. And I love it. You're a stupid, arrogant, whiny jerk, who I incidentally like a lot. Not because you're cool or you play guitar or anything like that-I do like those things too, don't get me wrong-but you have a heart. And that's exactly what I love most about you."

They were both quiet for a moment, and then Wendy sighed.

"...I think we both need to stop whining." She said.

Robbie frowned. "I'm sorry I've irritated you by finally telling you how I feel?"

Wendy shook hear had. "No, that's not...It's just, I feel like we're always so focused on how terrible it is to be a teenager. I mean, I know sometimes life sucks. It really does. And being a teenager is...Sometimes it's absolutely horrible. You get your heart broken, you get hurt, and it sucks. But sometimes, life seriously rocks. Sometimes, there are moments when, if you actually think about it, you realize that life is so amazing. And even if it feels like life will never end, and some moments seem to go on forever, life is so short. We've gotta enjoy it while we can, because we take it for granted so much. We never know when it's going to end. And we never seem to think of how good we could have it. We're so focused on how bad things are and how much better they could be that we don't take the time to think about how we could have it so great if we focused on all the good." She paused. "Listen, Robbie...I know there's so much you keep to yourself. You hold yourself back all the time. And honestly, that just sucks. You've gotta stop thinking and start doing. Because, like I said, life is shor-"

As soon as the words had left Wendy's mouth, Robbie pressed his lips quickly against hers in a sloppy, almost frenzied, kiss.

"Dude!" Wendy blurted out as soon as he backed away. She could feel heat rising to her face.

"What?" Robbie asked. "You told me to stop thinking and start doing."

"Could you at least wait till I'm done talking next time?" She laughed. Her anger was already beginning to melt away. "Okay, wait…do you really think we can make this work out after all this? You think things can just go back to normal?" She asked.

The air was heavy with maybe.

But then Robbie sighed, shook his head. "Wait, no. I'm not saying I want things to go back to how they were; I don't think they can. And actually, I don't even think they should; because like, things are completely different now. We've both gotten things out that we've kept inside for wayy too long. And now, everything's really different…Well, I mean, everything except that one thing." He said.

"…What thing?" Wendy asked.

"I still love you. More than anything in the whole freaking world."

"Robbie…" Wendy murmured.

"I really do, Wendy. I swear." He insisted. "I always have."

"I love you too, dude…"

"Then I guess maybe we can…?"

Wendy grinned. "Wait, wait." She said. She walked closer to him and then twirled one of his hoodie strings around her finger. "So, uh, we've been talking a lot recently…and, uh, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to get back together with me sometime?"

Robbie laughed. "I'll think about it." He joked.

Wendy pouted and punched his arm playfully. "You're such a dork!" She laughed.

"I know, I know." He laughed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his head into her hair. "But as long as I have you, that's fine by me."


End file.
